All About the Mindset

Today I am doing something a little different, where I am simply going to free-write about my current mindset and where it has taken me.For these past few months, I have been very diligent on training my mindset and building myself as the best individual I can be moving forward into 2018. I will admit, I attribute a lot of my change in mindset to Gary Vaynerchuk and Lauryn Evarts, who I personally believe are male and female versions of each other. For those who may not have heard of Gary Vaynerchuk yet, I highly recommend to visit his Instagram and even better, listen to his podcasts on The GaryVee Audio Experience. On the other hand, Lauryn Evarts, the founder of The Skinny Confidential, is someone I see as a reflection of myself, but older and wiser. I also highly recommend her blog and her podcasts that she also shares with her husband. To cut to the chase, a few things I've learned from both thus far.

• One of the biggest mistakes I see millennials make (obviously including myself), is that we are always thinking short-term, in the "now", in the "moment". We want that instant gratification and I do truly believe it is attributed to by the social media culture we have cultivated over these past few years. With that in mind, this is something I have truly reevaluated in my life and decision-making, as I am consistently trying to think long-term, rather than short-term. We have to ask ourselves, what is the most important to us, where do we want our lives to be 3-5 years from now? And with that, how will we get there? Attending frat parties and bars 3-4 times a week, or networking and creating a community with others that also want to build and create that vision for themselves? You tell me. Regardless, success and results do not show overnight. The key is having the patience, to work and build the foundation that will be stable and last for the long-term growth. And seeing that, it is evident why there is a gap between the 1% and others. Majority of us do not have the patience to work through the shit days and sacrifice what we call "fun" today for the real fun in the future.
• Secondly, I've learned from Lauryn that it is so important to "stay in your own lane." I love the quote she referenced in the podcast on The Influencer Podcast, "Be like Michael Phelps. Stay in your own lane. If you are looking over at others in the other lanes, you will never win" I've interpreted this a few different ways. One being, don't pay attention to what other people are doing. I personally believe this is part of what holds us back, is seeing what other people are doing and investing our energy into their lives through the scroll of our thumb on a daily basis. This is one of the main reasons why I shifted into using social media for a platform where I can add value, share my thoughts, and etc. I tend to keep more of my personal life private and off of social media to allow myself to be productive when using these platforms, such as Instagram and Snapchat. Another interpretation is simply to not a give a shit about what other people think. I know it is quite commonly said, however, it is much more difficult to apply. When we wrap our head around the truth that other people's opinion don't matter AT ALL, that's where true freedom comes in. This would also explain why I tend to tackle my goals assertively, because I am not letting the opinion of others' hold be back.
• Time...that's the true commodity we are exchanging. The irony is that so many of us waste our time on the most dumb shit. More importantly, we rarely ask ourselves, what we truly gain from some of the activities we partake in. I'll just be blunt here...what is the value gained from going out to the bars or parties 2-4 times a week? Or just staying up all night smoking weed? Versus staying in for the night, maybe crafting a new idea or project, reading/studying, or getting ample sleep for the following day to wake up at an early time to start your day? Here's the thing too...I used to do all of the above. I've had first-hand experience at wasting my time on the most stupid shit. I mean hell, sometimes I think I'm wasting my time just being in a sorority. We just gotta ask ourselves, what is the return on investment (ROI)? And is it worth our time?

My development in understanding the truth and logic behind a lot of the shit we do has allowed me to really gear down and focus on my vision. Because at the end of the day, that's what we have. We go to school to eventually get a job to support ourselves and whatever vision that is down the line. But we don't have to follow the structure society has set out for us. It's fucking almost 2018 people...we have cars that can drive itself for us. And that would have been thought as impossible many years ago.I'll end my rant here, as you can see I could probably go on and write for days about this shit I'm on and what's the driving force behind my vision and dreams. If you'd like to listen to some of my favorite podcasts, they are listed below.

• The Skinny Confidential Him & Her Podcast 
• The GaryVee Audio Experience
• The Influencer Podcast 
• The Goal Digger 

Till next time...xx